Help identifying Model M!

Crown326 · 15 Aug 2018, 22:29

Hey guys, i picked up this 1992 Model M 102 terminal keyboard. The seller posted a picture of a silver badge terminal m like the one i recieved but the manufacture date was 1987. (The seller listed three in stock so I’m assuming he had three that looked like these) This one says 1992 which confuses me because it uses the earlier silver badge and the rainbow back plate. Any ideas on why this one? I was thinking it might be a lexmark reissue but on the ones I’ve seen, the original sticker was taken off and replaced with a smaller one with new info on it. This one’s sticker seems to be original or old at least. Thanks for any info!

Crown326 · 15 Aug 2018, 22:38

Here are a few pictures

digital_matthew · 15 Aug 2018, 23:02

Looks to be a 1390636 Terminal Model M with a random label from a later model. The rainbow backplate would suggest that this is probably from 1986.

fohat · 16 Aug 2018, 00:09

May be that the case bottom shell was swapped. How do both ends of the cable connect?

Engicoder · 16 Aug 2018, 00:16

I have 2 similar terminal boards with the silver badge. They are both marked 1390636. On is dated 1992 and the other 1995. The earlier has an IBM label and the later a Lexmark label.

The bottom half of the case on the later one is slightly different as the center hole above the label is missing.

: IBM1390636.jpg (2.05 MiB) Viewed 3950 times

Crown326 · 16 Aug 2018, 02:53

digital_matthew wrote: ↑Looks to be a 1390636 Terminal Model M with a random label from a later model. The rainbow backplate would suggest that this is probably from 1986.

It doesn't appear so, I opened it up and all the components with a date say 1990 or 1992

Crown326 · 16 Aug 2018, 03:02

fohat wrote: ↑May be that the case bottom shell was swapped. How do both ends of the cable connect?

Side into the keyboard is fixed and the plug is a 240 degree 5 pin din. All of the internal components that have a date say 1990 or 1992 so I'm not sure how it would have all of these early model m features with the badge and back plate. I was thinking it is an ibm reissue? similar to lexmark reissues of earlier keyboards. Engicoder has a similar one to mine, new manufacturing date with square badge and i would presume other old style components.

Crown326 · 16 Aug 2018, 03:04

Engicoder wrote: ↑I have 2 similar terminal boards with the silver badge. They are both marked 1390636. On is dated 1992 and the other 1995. The earlier has an IBM label and the later a Lexmark label.

The bottom half of the case on the later one is slightly different as the center hole above the label is missing.

IBM1390636.jpg

Don't really know what to make of it. Maybe an ibm reissued model m? My internal components are badges from the early 90s. Very confused haha

digital_matthew · 16 Aug 2018, 04:44

It may be a refurb. It would be odd for IBM or Lexmark to go back to the thick heat-treated backplate and silver badge.

andrewjoy · 16 Aug 2018, 10:50

I have a sliver label terminal (101 case) and i think it has one of them lexmark stickers on it too.

Possibly re-manufactured ?

Crown326 · 16 Aug 2018, 11:35

andrewjoy wrote: ↑I have a sliver label terminal (101 case) and i think it has one of them lexmark stickers on it too.

Possibly re-manufactured ?

which do you think is a lexmark sticker?

andrewjoy · 16 Aug 2018, 11:42

This one

The one in the above image , with the smaller paper label .

Engicoder · 16 Aug 2018, 14:46

Actually the IC in the picture appears to have a late 1986 date code

snuci · 16 Aug 2018, 18:09

Engicoder wrote: ↑Actually the IC in the picture appears to have a late 1986 date code

Someone refurbed it. The keyboard mechanism is older than the cable and case.

Crown326 · 26 Aug 2018, 06:42

digital_matthew wrote: ↑It may be a refurb. It would be odd for IBM or Lexmark to go back to the thick heat-treated backplate and silver badge.

I was actually wrong about the date on the pcb. I mistook the 1991 for a date but i saw several other earlier models with a 1991 in the numbers on the label. I cant find any date info on any other internal components except for the 1990 date on the cable.

Crown326 · 26 Aug 2018, 06:46

snuci wrote: ↑
Engicoder wrote: ↑Actually the IC in the picture appears to have a late 1986 date code
Someone refurbed it. The keyboard mechanism is older than the cable and case.

It seems like it. Still pretty confused but IBM has so much overlap in parts and other weird things. I'm still thinking it is a refurb or a new one made for a replacement for an older terminal. Maybe I'll never know

Crown326 · 26 Aug 2018, 06:49

snuci wrote: ↑
Engicoder wrote: ↑Actually the IC in the picture appears to have a late 1986 date code
Someone refurbed it. The keyboard mechanism is older than the cable and case.

Are there particular numbers you are looking at that indicate a manufacture date? I was wondering if this is just newly manufactured for an older terminal as a replacement keyboard.